Pharmacotherapy for chronic depression

Chronic depression is a prevalent but under-recognized and under treated psychiatric disorder. There is now good evidence that antidepressant medication, including tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors, are effective in treating both the depressive symptomatology and social impairments of chronic depression. Long-term studies in progress suggest that antidepressant medications are also effective in sustaining recovery during the maintenance treatment of chronic depression.